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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · patient · face · net · fork · lash · cap · sharp

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — for catching
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. sharp — clever
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cap — a lid
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fork — in a road
  15. deal — to handle
  16. face — part of the head
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. net — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. face — to confront
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com